


Illness

by robertstanion



Series: PEIPHQ Shenanigans [29]
Category: Black Friday - Team StarKid
Genre: <1500 words, M/M, Sickfic, this is me projecting sorry lads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:40:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25924525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robertstanion/pseuds/robertstanion
Summary: Xander gets sick.
Relationships: Xander Lee/John McNamara
Series: PEIPHQ Shenanigans [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764349
Kudos: 4





	Illness

**Author's Note:**

> TW: just illness really

John McNamara loved his husband. What wasn’t there to love about the sweet, handsome guy with the prettiest coloured eyes, and the hair that he was currently refusing to cut. John wasn’t judging, of course, because he loved to play with Xander’s hair, just like how Xander loved to play with John’s, but John knew Xander too well, and he knew something was up.

Xander had been slacking a little bit at work recently, which wasn’t too good for him considering he had to be on top of his work at all costs. Sometimes he’d daze out, or he’d speak slower or too quickly and then have to stop. His eyes clouded over a lot more recently too, and he woke up in cold sweats a lot more. John knew this, because his sleep schedule was fucked, and it was unlike Xander to wake up in the night. Regardless, Xander had been close to tears for the past few weeks, and was either begging for John’s attention, or snapping at John for nothing. Whether Xander wanted to admit it or not, him overworking wasn’t doing him any good.

He was getting sick.

John wasn’t mad, of course he wasn’t, it was human nature to become sick, but this seemed to be troubling Xander a lot more than he’d seen it trouble anyone else. That morning, Xander had seemed really out of it, almost drunk, and it concerned John to the maximum level. After a good half an hour of persuading, he got Xander to stay in bed. Penny had come down with some sort of sickness as well lately, and it was fall, becoming winter, what was John to expect? At least Xander wouldn’t be alone.

So John got changed and went to work as usual. He assigned missions to his agents, checked up on his emails and ensured any paperwork that needed to be completed _had_ been completed. Unfortunately for him, at around midday, he got a text of Penny saying she’d woken up from a nap to go to the bathroom, and peeked into Xander’s room to check on him, and she described him as shaking viciously, sobbing into the pillow, with a blue haze around him. John knew he had to get home. Xander wasn’t one to cry alone. He hated being alone at the peak of his vulnerability.

He explained to Colonel Schaffer, who encouraged him to go home, explaining she’d take over the orders, and he thanked her. John started walking out of the building, only to pick up to a run in split seconds, heading back to the car. He fumbled for his keys, switching the car on before he drove home as quickly, yet safely, as he could. The last thing Xander needed in that moment was to find out John had been in an accident that could be potentially fatal.

He pulled up at home in one piece and walked in. He saw Penny and Jasper curled up on the couch and John smiled gently to them, walking inside. “Has your father moved from our room at all, sweetheart?” He asked, hanging up his beret, taking his hair out of the ponytail.

Penny sniffled, shaking her head, moving the blanket more around her shoulders. “He’s stayed in bed.”

“How bad is he? Truly,” he asked, facing his daughter. He needed to know how to approach the situation if he could. The last thing he wanted was for Xander to become intimidated and therefore scared.

“He was just…I don’t know.” Penny’s voice was slightly scratchy, but it was better than it had been multiple days ago.

John nodded and walked over, placing a kiss on her hair. “I’ll make you some dinner later, okay?”

“Dad, you can’t cook for shit. It’s why it’s dad’s job.”

“Then I’ll order us pizza or something.” He smiled and moved away. “I’ll be upstairs if either you or Jasper need anything okay?”

“Got it. I love you.”

“I love you too.” With that, John walked up the stairs and pushed open the room to their door.

Xander appeared to be asleep, but again, John knew him too well.

“I’m home, Firefly,” John said, using the nickname he created for Xander not too long ago as he opened their shared wardrobe, placing his military vest up on one of the hangers. Silence came from the other man, but when John turned back around, Xander had his eyes open. John smiled sympathetically. “Let me go change, and I’ll be right with you.”

After John changed in to his pyjamas, he slid into bed beside Xander, feeling how hot he was from a mile away. John became even more concerned than he had been before as he lay to face Xander, not sure if he should touch him just in case he was hurting. “You haven’t been yourself lately, Firefly. What’s going on with you huh? What’s gotten you all worked up?” He asked softly, and watched as Xander’s eyes pooled with tears he tried to blink away. “How badly does it hurt?”

“ _So_ much,” came Xander’s reply, and the most surprising thing was how strong his voice was compared to his current situation. “The medicine wore off and I ain’t strong enough to get some more and-“

“I’ve got some in my drawer.” John said softly, not touching Xander’s face, but choosing to move close to him and wrap his arm around Xander’s waist. “You’re burning up.”

“I know…I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologise for getting sick.”

“I should have been at work today.”

“You’d have passed out on the spot if you tried to stand. It’s a good thing I’ve been married to you for about 15 years, isn’t it?”

“I guess…”

“Why were you crying earlier? Pen caught you glowing, honey.”

“Just…” Xander didn’t stop a tear from rolling down his face. “The pain hurts. Usually when it happens, I use my power to make the pain stop and-“

“You used your power, and did it make it worse or better?”

“Worse…” He looked at John. “I just wanted you here by my side all day, and I couldn’t message you because lights hurt.”

“Well, is there anything I can do now?”

“Don’t leave my side?”

“I’m not planning on it.”

**Author's Note:**

> based on the panic attack i had at midnight yesterday where i thought i was gonna v* and i didn't but i have emetephobia and i cried :D


End file.
